Steam-trap fob



,QUNITEDPSTA aonnna nonmzsnnmor trivnsisone, KANSAS.

To all in 7mm it may concern i Belt known that I, JOHN A. Homisn'nma citizen of the United States, residing at Lindsborg, in the county of McPherson and Specification of Letters Extent.

.Stateof Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Traps for Vapor-Heating Systems; and I do declare the Ifollowing to be. a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art .to which it appertains-to make and use the same.

=1 iis invention relates to steam heating systems and'inore particularly to that class known as vacuum. systems wherein a low or in which it is necessary to first empty the radiators and connections of air and water and. thereafter prevent the reentry of air thereinto and maintain at least'a'parti'al vacuum inthe system. r v

Variousmeans have been devised for venting the :air from the radiatorsnincluding automatic or thermostatic valves located at .the radiators, vacuum pumps and others sub- I ect to the 'dejfectsof a low circulation,

pounding, back pressure, discharge offo ul air and water into the rooms, increased cost free from. such defects and characterized by of installation and attendance, and the like. It .is thereforetheprimary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus the improved means for ventingthe air from the radiators by a trapping and ejecting de-. -vice1locatedat one point and discharging such outside the building or rooms and for'sealing the system against the return of air. V p I Another object of theinvention is'to so con struct a trapping and airejecting device of struct a trap of thischaracter so that the water and steam entering it will be deflected and broughtinto whirling contact with the wallsthereof and thereby thoroughly cleanse I said walls and prevent the accumulationof grease and other-.i'oreign matter thereon.

A "very important improvement over steam traps now known and used and present inthis invention're sides in the constructi'on oi the ;chec k valve which prevents the STEAM-TRAP FOR YAPOR-HEATING SYSTEMS.-

' Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Application filed Augustfll; 1919. Serial No. 318,931.

air from entering the system from the out side. The seat of this check valve is so constructed that no particles of dust, dirt,

grease or other foreign matter will accumulate thereupon and prevent the proper seating or the valve. Any of this foreign matter present in the neighborhood of the valve will be blown away asair is passing through the same;

in additional object of the invention is to provide steam trap of this character which will be extremely simple, strong, durable and iinexpensive in construction, one which 7 will be efiicienizand reliable in operation and less than atmospheric pressure is utilized and well adapted to the purpose'for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in view,

the invention consists of certain novel feat qures of construction and the combination 7 and arrangement of parts as will be herein after fully described and claimed.

In'the accompanying drawings in which similarreference characters designate like .parts throughout the several views;

-with suitable branches Gr leading from the Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a steam trap constructed in accord ance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 22 of heating system equipped-with one of the improved traps.

In the embodiment illustrated, a boiler or steam generator A of any suitable construction is shown having a steam (pipe B pro- .vided with suitable branchesradiators I). .Valves are provided at E for controlling the inlet of the various radiators.

leading to A return pipe indicated at F is connected radiators D and with the water space of the generator, said pipe being here shown provided with a vertically disposed portion H which connects the main portion thereof with the boiler. In order to prevent water from backing up in the return pipe H when the boiler is forced, a swing check valve vH is placed in the pipe H. In the preferred embodiment of the invention a combined steam trap and air vent 1 is located near the end of the return line F at a point above the plane where said linedrops below the water level in the boiler and is disposed adjacent the junction of the horizontal main line F and the vertical portion H. This improved trap 1 comprises a casing which may be of any suitable form being here shown in the form of a cylinder having a removable closure or cover plate 2 at its upper end and with an inlet 3 extending tangentially through one side wall thereof near its upper end. This inlet 3 is connected by a pipe I with the main or return line F, the connection of said pipe with the trap being in a plane above its connection with said return line. By so connecting the pipe I with the trap and the return line the air and water forced through the return line F by the presthe opening 6.

sure exerted by the incoming steam is caused .to separate at this point, the air rising through the pipe 3 and entering the trap 1 while the water flows by gravity down through the vertically disposed portion H of the return pipe back to the water space of the boiler. The object in disposing the inlet 3 tangentially of the casing is to cause the entering fluid to impinge against'theside wall of thetrap and thereby thoroughly separate the air and water contained therein.

The upper side of the cover 2 is provided with a centrally disposed boss or enlarge.

ment, the latter having a longitudinal opening 5 extending therethrough and a transverse opening 6 communicating with the latter. The upper and lower ends of the opening 5 are internally threaded. Fitted in the threaded lower end of the opening 5 is a bushing 7, the lower end'of which is provided with a head having a flat lower side. Extending longitudinally through the bushing 7 isan opening 8, the junction of the lower end of which with the flat lower side of the head of the bushing is rather sharp and forms a valve seat. Theupper end of the bushing 7 is beveled as at 9 and extends into an enlarged portion 10 of the opening 5 at the junction of the same with By this construction an annular space is left around the upper end ofthe bushing '7. Seated upon the upper .end' of the bushing 7 is a ball valve 11, the latter being capable of vertical movement,

but being retained within a certain space so that it 'will automatically seat itself by gravity when air has ceased to flow upwardly through the opening 8 by a retaining plug 12. By beveling the upper end of the bushing 7 and by forming an annular space around the same, there W111 be no surface upon Which dust, dirt; grease or foreign matter will accumulate and thus prevent the tight and proper seating of the valve 11.

Y The lower endof the trap 1 is provided witha discharge opening 13 and an inter nally threaded nipple 14: to which one end of a plpeJ is threaded to connect the trap .w ith the vertical portion H of the return I pipe; the pointof connection of the pipe J with the pipe H being below the water level in the boiler. This pipe J is designed as a means for conveying the water which accumulates in the trapback to the generator.

Threaded in the discharge opening and rising vertically and centrally within the trap 1 is a pipe 15, the wall of the latter near 7 7 thermostatic spacelt). The partition carries a lu 20, which is disposed within theupper end of the pipe 15 and serves as a guidefor the float '17. The float 17 rests uponthe pipe 15 with its lower end spaced above the bottom of the trap 1. The upper end of the pipe 15ca-rries a valve 21 adapted to be seated upon the formed at the junction of the opening 8 in the bushing 7 and, the flat lower side of the head thereof. In the; operation of a low pressure ,or

.vapor heating system equipped with 1 this invention when steam is generated in the it is immediately distributed.

boiler A. through'the system by passing through the pipes B and G into the radiators D and forces outgtherefroni air and the water of condensation which is contained in said radiators as aresult of thelowering of the pressure in the system and the cooling off of the radiators. The entrance ofsteam into theradiatorsforcesthis air and water through the branch pipes G into the main portion of the return line F and it is driven through said main 7 line back toward the water space of the boiler. On earing the end of the line F the air and water encounters theyinlet pipe I ofthe trap 1. arranged in the system adjacent the-junction of the horizontal main line F and its verticalterininal H.- VVhen the air and water reach this point thewater flows by gravity down "to the pipe H while the moist air and 'possibly a small amount of water carried thereby rise through the pipe I and enter the trap casing 1 at a tangent through the opening 3. This air forced into the casing through the tangentially disposed opening impinges-violently uponlthe opposed wall of i the casing and is whirled around therein whereby the moisture contained in the air is separated therefrom and trickles down the side walls of said casing and drains through the opening 16 into the water outlet 13 and thence through the pipe J to the vertically of theboiler; The air freed from the water by this contact with the casing wall rises in the casing and passes out of the air disdisposed pipeH and backto the water space charge to the atmosphere, the valve 21 being normally opened. Ifthe separation of the water from the air or the condensation of the steam carried into the casing with the air takes place rapidly so that a considerable quantity of water accumulates within the casing and will not rapidly drain off, the

float f1? will rise and close valve 2 1 so that I if more water accumulates n the casing none.

of itwill pass out of the air discharge. It

is to be understood that the maximum' ,amount of'water allowed to accumulate in the casing is controlled by theweight of the -float 17. As soon as this'quantity ofaccu mula-ted water passes out-of the casing, the

valve 21; will be opened by the lowering of the float-{17 which carries it. -After the air in main l ne .F and in fact lnthe entire system has been .d1scharged through the air dis.-

charge, j steam enters the" trap casing 1 through the opening 2" at a point in closeproximity to the thermostat 19 and the heat thereof will immediately cause the thermo stat to expand and; thereby firmly close the valve 21. --This prevents the escape of steam from the trap and causes it to'pass back into the system. The check valve 11 prevents air f'romthe outside atmosphere from gainmg entranceto the interior of the casing. ThlS [valve be ng a ball valve and seated upon a' sharp'seat having no broad flat por.-'

' :tion and being surrounded by an annular channel or space will not collect dust or W other; foreign matter and prevent the valve from properly seating, 'Therefore, the check valve. will not leak and by this addition it greatly improves the system.

Attention is directed to the fact that the 7 float- 17 may rotate and the inlet 3 will direct the incoming fluid tangentially against said 'floatxf This causesrotation of the float and when the valve 21- is closed, produces a grinding action on said valve and its seat to at all times insure a fluid-tight seating. I Various changes in form, proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims.

a pipe rising from said water outlet and having an open upper end below and ahned with said air outlet, the'lower end of said pipe having an opening placing the casing in communication with the water outlet, a float bell, in said casing with its top over said pipe and provided with a valve for said air outlet, a partition in said bell below said top and forming therewith a thermostat for bowing said top upwardly and closingits valve, and a lug depending from said partition and shdably received in the open upper end of said plpe.

2. A combined air ejector and trap comprising a vertically disposed cylindrical casinghaving a water outlet and provided with an air outlet in its upper end, valve for closing said air outlet, a cylindrical float rotatable in the casing and carrying said valve,'the float wall and easing wall being in close proximity with each other, and a tangential fluid inlet through said casing wall below the upper end of said fioat wall, whereby to direct the incoming fluid against the float to rotate the latter forthe purpose set forth. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7 i

JOHN A. HOLMBERG. 

